stop short
ok, nomar ain't on the list, but he didn't play a full season. for some reason he's listed as a dh. we'll talk about him then. when we talk about dh's. i know it's a terrible solution but i don't want to deal with excel right now.

cesar became useful offensively. with his great defense, that makes him valuable in low-run situations, like the playoffs. he's a strong contributor.

tejada,miguel 667 58 73 34 42 .080 .891 .128 .311

what can you say when you see that kind of contact with that kind of power but difference maker.

rollins,jimmy 659 60 73 14 55 .083 .889 .118 .289

ditto. i should say something new. look at those doubles (plus triples)! jimmy's hittin his prime.

wilson,jack 657 30 71 11 53 .044 .892 .109 .308

another breakout year. the shortstop landscape is changing. just needs a little patience. strong contributor.

you could characterize izturis, rollins, and wilson as breakouts this year.

jeter,derek 645 60 99 23 45 .085 .847 .125 .292

those are good numbers. and i'm starting to think his defense isn't as bad as sabermetricians think. many of them think he's one of the worst of all time. i don't know. i can't say anything definitive here. i mean, it's true that he consistently gets terrible ratings while other yankee infielders, like third basemen, look good, but he does seem to make good decisions. he seems to be in the right place at the right time. he senses things, somehow. yes the famous play against the a's in the playoffs jeremy giambi didn't score. how did he know to do that?

that's what the tv says any time you see playoff highlights but there's something to the tv's argument. i don't know how much. but he's easily a strong contributor.

cabrera,orlando 628 42 54 10 41 .063 .914 .089 .264

strong defense, great contact. power dropped off a little. another strong contributor.

renteria,edgar 596 40 78 10 37 .063 .869 .091 .287

i don't know. looks like the sox moved down. how's edgar's defense? they say it's great. is he a strong contributor? i guess so, but what about the next guy?

lugo,julio 589 59 106 7 45 .091 .820 .108 .275

borderline. we gotta draw the line somewhere. but those are balanced skills. he is a good baseball player.

yeah, i know. obviously.

guzman,cristian 580 31 64 8 35 .051 .890 .083 .274

great defense. needs a little more. power, patience.

clayton,royce 576 52 125 8 40 .083 .783 .106 .279

in coors that's the best he could do? why do people still employ this guy?

vizquel,omar 573 58 62 7 31 .092 .892 .074 .291

omar had some nice years, although he was overrated his entire career. now he's just a guy.

cintron,alex 568 33 59 4 38 .055 .896 .083 .262

cintron fell back from his rookie season. he struck out more and had less power. he just turned 26, so you gotta think he'll get it back.

what will maicer do in the majors? i have no idea. are there any other up-and-comers? probably. good night.

oh yeah ranking.

1. tejada
2. rollins
3. guillen
4. tie among all strong contributors.

lots of strong contributors and up-and-comers. as i said, the landscape is changing. landscape. i can't believe i said that. there's gotta be a better way. to communicate. that idea. than to use tired cliches. i'm just kinda rambling here. my girlfriend is mad at me for staying up all night writing about baseball. she's mad about other stuff too. this is about to turn way too personal. i've been warned about stuff like that. she's going home. i'm sleeping alone tonight. see what you made me do? see what you've done? yeah i know i know i know. i have no one to blame but myself. sorry baby. i do the best i can.
- posted by julien @
2:47 AM